Press Release

Statement from the Ohio Environmental Council on the Trump Administration’s Plan to Gut the Bureau of Land Management’s Methane Standards

The following statement can be attributed in full, or in part, to Melanie Houston, Director of Climate Programs at the Ohio Environmental Council:

“This week, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and the Trump Administration took a step that would hurt taxpayers, communities surrounding federal lands, and our children’s health, by proposing to gut the Bureau of Land Management’s Methane and Waste Prevention rule.

“Last year, hundreds of thousands of stakeholders across the country expressed their overwhelming support for pollution standards to reduce methane waste and keep our air clean. Even the United States Senate voted to save the rule. Over 5,000 Ohioans joined an OEC sponsored tele-town hall to learn about the BLM methane standard and voice their concerns regarding the rule.

“With this decision, the Trump Administration has yet again worked to assist the oil and gas industry instead of providing greater economic protections for taxpayers and families through protecting our ownership of these shared natural resources.”